Military fighting terrorism with caution - Minimah

Kenneth Minimah

Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Kenneth Minimah

Lt.-Gen. Kenneth Minimah
Lt.-Gen. Kenneth Minimah

Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Kenneth Minimah, said on Monday 15 July that the military is deploying caution in its anti-terrorism operations to avoid the killing of innocent Nigerians.

Minimah said this at the opening of the Chief of Army Staff Quarterly Conference in Abuja. He explained that the war against terrorism was not a conventional war saying that the Nigerian Army “is conventional and regular”.

“We are also now fighting terrorism; the terrorist is someone you don’t know. It may be someone who sold food or fruit to you in the morning, by the evening he is a terrorist.

“Now, we are having all that interplay in the battle fronts in the North-East; we have to be cautious to separate the terrorists from the law-abiding citizens.

“We also have human rights to protect. Because you just don’t go out and start killing people that they are terrorists. We are bound by all the international treaties of the human rights to protect our citizens, and therefore we need time.

“I know the expectations of the Nigerian citizens are that this thing should be over by yesterday. But the reality is that it would not have been over by yesterday because of the structure and dynamics of fighting this type of terrorism.”

Minimah, however, appealed for the support of all, including the media, saying that the army needed time and patience for the terrorists to be defeated. He noted that, the army has enough equipment to fight the war as the Federal Government is also introducing newer equipment to the military to fight the war.

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Minimah also called for the need to address the rising acts of indiscipline and unprofessional conduct by troops.

On indiscipline, he noted that the recent near mutinous act in Maiduguri and reported destruction of public property in Lagos readily came to mind.

While explaining the incident in Lagos, he said that a soldier was killed by a BRT vehicle and as the late soldier and the BRT were removed hoodlums, vandals and hooligans took over and burnt government property.

He said that it was not the army that burnt government property. “As a professional army, highly disciplined and hierarchical organisation, the conduct of our troops must be above board at all times

“I charge all commanders to put measures in place to check acts of indiscipline and misconduct of personnel under their command. The image of the army must always be protected.

“Let me reminded us of our obligation to strictly abide by our constitutional roles to defend our country and people.

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